I have not studied the total effect of the various paragraphs of the new health insurance law.

I do know that a few years ago I had some CAT scans taken. Although I had given the proper information as to routing so that the bill was to be channeled through Group Health to get payment from Medicare, the hospital billedMedicare direct and it was rejected.

The bill was in the amount of $8000. After three phone calls over a period of several months in which I explained the drill in full and the person typed in to a computer and the subsequent callers could find no record, I received a call from a medical collection service.

I repeated my story. The lady at the collection service ask me to FAX a copy of my Group Health and Medicare cards.

Days later I received a notice from Group Health indicating that the bill had been Paid in Full in the amount of $1700.00. (What happened to the other $6300?)

Which brings up the disputed government insurance mandate.

On our visit to China the local tour guide was bemoaning the fact that when China had their basic comunist system health clinics were free. Now that partial Western capitalism has krept in there is a $2.50 co-pay.

I used the oportunity to ask him about the availability of health services in poor rural areas.

His quick response was as to government policy-

You sick? You die!

Are some of our legislators picking up on this?